The Week That Was...19//5//13

1. Communal dining at Artisan

2. like a child...

3. the days are getting chillier, so we treated ourselves to beautiful new bed linen with the hope that it would make those cold wintery mornings a little more...well, beautiful

4. bright blue skies & fresh country air

5. roadtrippin' & singin' loud to Spice Girl's (don't judge us...you do it too!)

6. plenty of kitten cuddles at the RSPCA - unfortunately this is also how our Appa has caught the flu

7. morning light on crisp linen sheets during our luxurious weekend away

8. I treated Sam to a pampering afternoon at the salon - massage, wash, cut & blowout (because she couldn't possibly meet Julie Andrews with split ends!)

9. this is what my evenings look like at the moment - Sam asleep next to me, as I catch up on reading your lovely blogs! I'm sorry I've been so absent lately - seriously, life is busy right now & I'm missing you all so much!

PS. if anyone has a few extra hours to spare I'd be happy to take them of your hands!

*Linking in with Em for Stills: A Weekly Collection. 

19/52 & 20/52 (better late than never!)

52 portraits//capturing memories and moments//in 2013 

Linking in with Jodi over at Che and Fidel.  

Sam: people watching from our latest cafe discovery, Artisan // soaking in the golden, late afternoon sunshine (notice her hair between the two weeks!)

 
Me: kitten cuddling at the RSPCA // laughing at Sam's photography antics as we walked through Southbank (please ignore the fact that I am wearing the same beanie...thank goodness I have a lovely hand-knitted on it's way c/o MacBeanie!)

Tiger: she got in a little scuffle with a neighborhood cat, she has the wounds to prove it // she always has, & always will be, a sleep-in-the-bed dog (& we love her for it!)

Appa: her eyes are divine // always watching (Appa has been terribly ill with the flu this week. It has felt much like we're parents to an infant - waking every couple of hours to clean up vomit, wipe her bum & clean her runny nose. My heart has both grown with love for her & broken for her pain.)

Quinn: her furry-furrowed brow // asleep...amongst clothes on the bathroom floor (I swear all she does is sleep!)
photographs #2&#3 by Sam 

Comfort Food - Cinnamon Scrolls

 When leaves turn to gold & the mercury begins to drop my craving for hot from the oven, spiced cinnamon scrolls comes alive, & is rather insatiable until I have those doughy delights in my hands...& growling stomach.
Luckily for me, this occurred right around Mothers Day.

Brunch wouldn't have been complete without these spicy, buttery scrolls - nor will your next high tea, morning tea or cuppa-tea, so take note for the best cinnamon scrolls you'll ever taste!*

Cinnamon Scrolls

Dough
2 cups self raising flour, sifted 
90g butter, cubed
160ml milk
a pinch of salt 

Filling
120g butter, room temperature
4tbs soft brown sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon 
1/4tsp ground nutmeg

Icing
1/2 cup icing sugar
1tbs boiling water

1. preheat oven to 210 degress C. grease/line a round cake tin or on baking tray.
2. combine the flour & salt in a medium bowl, rub the butter into the flour using finger tips. make a well in the centre, add milk & lightly mix until just combined.
3. turn out dough onto floured surface, knead gently until smooth. roll to 5mm thick, 20x30cm rectangle.
4. mix butter, sugar & spices together in small bowl, spread mixture over dough. roll up from longest side of dough, cut into 8-10 pieces.
5. arrange scrolls in cake tin or baking tray, bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. transfer to plate.
6. combine boiling water & icing sugar in small bowl to a honey consistency. drizzles over hot scrolls. & ENJOY!

xx
* narcissism at its finest!

Seasonal Treasures

The days are noticeably cooler now. Frost, still lingers on the ground as I dress in my layers & gumboots, only beginning to melt as the sun rises over the rooftops. My breath is visible before me as I walk through the park & the crunch of leave underfoot is all I hear in this sleepy neighbourhood. I watch fruit-bats fly back to their roost - their silhouettes are mesmerising against the pastel sky. 

I arrive at the gardens - a garden for remembrance - I can't help but smile as I walk through the rose garden, locking eyes with an elderly woman with her dog, standing before a bush with a single yellow rose. Along the winding path, past lawns scattered with headstones & the prayer chapel, around a bend, to the rock shaped like Queensland. 

There, under the shade of a Jacaranda tree, I rest. 

After a few silent moments, I gather foliage & a few lingering blossoms dropped from nearby bushes to place beside her plaque. I produce a cup of water to wash away the dirt & droppings, until her name shines in gold. Then I sit, I pause - just long enough to feel a wave of emotion wash over me, not long enough for it to overcome me. 

As I walk home, I collect pieces of nature from this peaceful place. Pine cones freshly fallen, still holding tight to its few last seeds; ruby, crimson & ochre coloured leaves beginning to curl & fall; & the last lime green leaves of a geranium. 

As I arrive, I place them, thoughtfully throughout our abode - pine cones by the entryway, the leaves in a test tube hanging in the kitchen window & the geranium joins with hyacinth leaves on my night stand. Each in sight throughout my day.

Each day, I gaze upon these seasonal treasures.  Each day, I smile to myself in remembrance.

* Linking with the delightful Lou  at her Little Green Shed . Won't you join us?

18/52

52 portraits//capturing memories and moments//in 2013 

Linking in with Jodi over at Che and Fidel.  

Sam: a visit to the RSPCA to mend our broken hearts resulted in hours of kitten cuddling - a little tender loving care goes a long way, for all involved.
Me: this is what my day off looks like - enjoying warm sunshine from a comfy couch, woolen socks & fresh pumpkin soup in my favourite mug
Tiger: tucked into bed with the covers upto her chin & tongue poking out. She melts my heart.
Appa & Quinn: tearing the house apart - they're akin to a tornado when they're playing together! (who needs kids when you've got pets like these?)


~ looking for more delightful portrait love? Grandfather & Grandbaby - Ingirds portrait of her sweet boy Roald & his grandpa is simply beautiful.